A Tale of Two Generals
by Berserker Luke
Summary: Twins Atsuko and Takehiko Tsukade, separated from each other at an early age, must now find their way through a cruel fate. Read as the two of them walk separate paths, but strive for the same goal.


**A Tale of Two Generals**

**Yay, my very first chapter ever is ready! It sure took long enough, but I feel it was worth it. Although I've updated it a few times already now… In any case, for those of you who were reading before, I have finally gotten the children's speech patterns fixed so that they aren't talking fluently like before. Thanks go to my good friend, "XxRivenxX", who was much better at doing that than I was. I would also like to thank "Rubymoonz" for pointing out a few oddities that are hopefully cleared up now with this update. Thank you to the both of you. Without the constructive criticism and assistance, this would have most likely stayed the way it was. And, of course, the readers in general deserve thanks as well. ^_^**

**P.S.: Anything with a "*" after it means that it is a term unique to my story, or a major term. These definitions will be at the bottom with the author's note. I'll try to explain mid-story if possible, but I'm not going to sacrifice quality for a definition. Please don't skip over them, though. Some could be very important later on.**

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><p>Chapter 1: the Hod War's Slaughter; Assault on Feres<p>

It was a beautiful day on the Isle of Feres, home to the royal Tsukade House that ruled over it for the past two hundred years. The Tsukade castle was located at the highest point of the island, looking down over the great structures Feres was known for. The overlook was a beautiful sight, but Feres was the architectural beauty of the modern world after all.

Inside the castle, a pair of twins, one a girl and the other a boy, were playing a game of hide and seek together in the courtyard. The girl had rather long, blonde hair that reached her shoulder blades, and unique hazel eyes. She was wearing an elegant yellow kimono-like dress that went down to her knees, looking absolutely adorable. She was Atsuko Tsukade, the child to become heir to the family when she grew to be of age. "Nii-Nii, where are you! You scawing me!" She said, starting to cry.

Her twin stepped out from behind a bush in a panic. "Oh, no! Nee-Nee, pease don't cwy!" He said, running to his sister. He was Takehiko Tsukade, the younger twin. Like his sister, he had blonde hair of the same shade, as well as the same eye color and shade. His hair was rather long for a boy his age, nearly covering his ears, and was rough with slightly a wild look. He also had rather long bangs that nearly reached down to eye level. He was wearing rather outstanding blue clothes with many complex designs in yellow, showing his stature as royalty. Even for his age of two, he was very mature in the sense that he looked out for those close to him, when he understood the situation. He ran over to his sister. "See, I right hewe. No worry, 'kay?" He said, laughing.

Atsuko sniffled a little, but was smiling again. She then made a pouty face. "You scawed me! You too good at hide an theek! I thought you got lost!"

The two twins soon heard laughing coming in the direction of the courtyard gate. "Lady Atsuko, you shouldn't get so mad at your brother. You know that."

Atsuko looked over in the direction of the voice. It was Thoma, her trusted servant. The boy had had brown, thick hair that covered his ears, and wore a very large headband, as well as an interestingly unique ronin uniform. He was only 12 years old, but nonetheless was her servant. He walked over to Atsuko and knelt down to eye level, smiling at his master. Despite that his master was so much younger than him, Thoma had an undying loyalty to the little heiress. She had saved him from a rather horrible fate with her words back when he was still a homeless thief and had tried to steal medicine from the mansion two months earlier. He had done so to save his friend's life, but he was to be thrown in the dungeon for his actions.

Atsuko, however, had spared him by talking some reason into her mother, leading to him being allowed to have the medicine, and his friend was saved. How a two-year old had an understanding and foresight of that level was beyond him. Despite her age, she understood his situation when he had explained, then was even able to prove her point to her mother. He chalked it up to her having a kind heart. After his friend was safe, he came back to the castle and formally asked to be allowed to repay the young heiress for her kindness, and with her approval was made her servant and protector. He was watched carefully for quite some time, but fit in after a while.

Atsuko looked at Takehiko with an upset face. "I-I sowwy, Nii-Nii…" She said with guilt in her voice. Thoma smiled and closed his eyes.

"There you go, milady." He said, and rubbed her head gently. She looked up and gave him a smile of pure bliss that only comes with young age, and giggled as well.

Thoma then opened his eyes and looked at Takehiko, then back to Atsuko, all the while smiling. "Do you two remember what day today is?"

Takehiko looked at him with a confused look. "U-um… no… today not wike other days?" He said. It looked like not knowing the answer was bothering him.

Thoma looked over at Atsuko. "How about you, miss Atsuko? I bet you remember, don't you?" He said, rubbing the girl's head once again.

"It Gaillardia's birfday, wight?" She said almost immediately. She had an unbelievable memory, so Thoma knew she would recall it.

"Good girl. You're so smart!" He said, positively reinforcing her for getting it right.

Takehiko looked very pouty after hearing that. "Hey! I smawt too, you know!" He said, shouting. Thoma's plan to encourage Atsuko backfired in a way he hadn't expected it to. He had gotten Takehiko mad at him.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, Takehiko-sama! You're really smart, too!" Thoma said quickly, waving his hands in front himself rapidly in defense while sweat beads rolled down his face. The twins looked at each other and laughed.

"Tommy's acting funny!" Atsuko exclaimed, giggling. Takehiko was laughing to, but it was more just because his sister was.

Thoma rubbed the back of his head, unsure as what to say next. He didn't have a clue how to react to the little kid antics that were thrown at him by the twins, so he just waited for them to settle down. Once the pair had calmed down from their little laughter session, he brought up the issue at hand. He smiled at Atsuko, and grabbed her hand while standing up. "Lady Atsuko, the maids need to get you ready to be at Master Gaillardia's party. You wouldn't want to miss it, now would you? You too, Takehiko-sama. You should have Hibiki help you get ready." Takehiko looked annoyed and groaned, but walked towards the door and inside the castle.

Atsuko shook her head and looked away, blushing. "I jus no good wif people I no know well…" She said, looking rather nervous and had a slight blush. Thoma tightened his grip on her hand slightly as assurance.

"Don't worry. I know you've only spoke with him once, but I'm sure you two will get along. It would be good for you to make friends with someone that isn't just on Feres. No need to be shy."

Atsuko still looked nervous, but smiled a little in spite of that. "Okay, I'll twy." She walked in with Thoma behind her.

On the way to Atsuko's room, the two were stopped along the way by one of the Angelic Knights, clad in shining white armor. Each member of the Angelic Knights was a member of the lower house of Tsukade, tasked with protecting the higher ranking members such as the King, Queen, and their children. He seemed to be in a panic, and was out of breath. Thoma was confused as to why he seemed so panicked, and decided it was worth asking. "Guard, why are you in such a hurry? Did something happen?"

The guard took a moment to catch his breath before continuing. "W-we have a big problem! Off in the distance, there's a Kimlascan assault force headed right here! They're coming in from the west, headed straight for the port! I don't know what quarrel they have with us, but it's likely they want to storm the  
>island!" Thoma's eyes widened in shock as he listened.<p>

"W-wait, how do they plan to get through? We have dawn age anti-marine cannons set up all over the port! They'd be fools to hit us head on!"

The guard looked down and away, as if he was ashamed. "About that… the captain of the knights apparently was bribed by Kimlasca beforehand into relieving the soldiers of their posts. He was put to death on the spot for his treachery, but the enemy still gets what they want from it. It will take too long to get troops into position at the cannons, now. It pains me to say this, but what happens to the town is up to the enemy's whimsy. We can't put up a decent defense in the town, so everyone is evacuating and coming here to Tsukade Castle."

At that time, a large quake could be felt as it traveled through the ground. Atsuko lost her balance and fell over, while the guard and Thoma barely stayed on their feet.

"Wh-what the hell? What was that?" Thoma said, panicked. The guard looked out the window to their right.  
>"It seems they started bombing the town with their land ship cannons from far away. Come on, we need to get lady Atsuko to the inner Castle. She takes top priority over the civilians." The guard then ran down the hall, gathering some other knights to form a unit around Atsuko.<p>

Atsuko stood up and grabbed at Thoma's shirt, scared of what was going on all around her. She didn't understand why they were being attacked, and she hated fighting. People would die if they fought. She gripped his shirt a bit tighter, scared to let go. "T-Tommy, what's wong? Is evyone gonna be okay?" There was a small pause before Thoma looked at her. Putting a hand on hers and smiling.

"Don't worry, it'll be alright. Just have faith in the knights. I'll protect you, and they'll protect the castle." Thoma said, although he knew the chances of holding out were slim. Feres had an impenetrable defense from outside attacks, never being overrun, so there were no strategies to base a castle defense on. The Angelic Knights were the only standing army on the island, and despite the fact they were one of Malkuth's most well trained units, they were far too small to hold out against an assault force. Still, he wanted his master to feel as safe as possible in such a chaotic time, even if that meant lying. He took her hand and led her along. "Come on, we need to get you to the throne room. It will be safest there."

Five knights came back, ready for their duty. "Alright. Lady Atsuko, if you would please follow us." They began walking ahead with Thoma and Atsuko following them.

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><p>Meanwhile, onboard the capital ship of the Kimlascan fleet, two men were sitting at a table, discussing something. It was too dark to make out what they looked like, but one by size looked younger than the other. It was obvious the older man was not in good shape due to his round figure.<p>

"I trust you have the plan memorized, correct?" The older man said.

"Yes, of course. I know what I have to do. Our forces attack Feres and retrieve the target alive while the real Kimlascan force moves in to take Hod. After I complete that, I head for Hod and play my part there." The younger one said in a resolute voice.

"Good, good! We have to do this for the sake of the Score, after all." The older one's voice was filled with glee. It made the younger one sick just listening to this man ramble on about the score, but he had little power of the situation. The score had to be followed, after all.

"Yes, I know. You need not repeat it so many times." The younger one said, trying to hide his annoyance.

"Then I leave it in your capable hands. By all means, do what you want to this forsaken island. Just bring back the target alive."

"Excuse me, I must be going. I need to get ready for the attack on the castle." The younger one stood up and left without even looking back, leaving the room in a hurry.

Once he was out of the room, he frowned in disgust. "Score-crazed fool."

The man went down to the deck, ready to lead the charge once the ship reached shore. He rounded up the men, getting them into an orderly formation. The ship docked at the port, since it was the only location possible. The main hatch opened, turning into a large staircase that went down to the pier. Everyone charged out and split up into squads as instructed. The complexity of the town required that many paths were covered, seeing as it was like a maze and there were only a few correct paths.

It took some time, but the young boy figured out a pathway to the castle gates. The doors were barricaded already, but that meant nothing to the boy. He sent one soldier to get reinforcements, then calmly waited by the castle.

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><p>When Atsuko and Thoma reached the room, Atsuko's mother and father were already there. It had taken longer than expected due to the chaos in the hallways. Takehiko and Hibiki were just coming around the other corner at the same times and nearly bumped into the two of them. Both Atsuko and Takehiko ran to their mother, who hugged them both tightly. They were both crying, scared out of their minds by all the chaos. Their mother hugged them tightly, trying to calm them down. "Now, now. It will be alright. You don't need to worry. We'll protect you from them."<p>

While Atsuko and Takehiko were busy with their mother, Thoma took a moment to talk to Hibiki, a boy about his age who had long, dark blue hair. The two were friends, as well as servants to house Tsukade. "So, what do you think will happen?" He said solemnly.

Hibiki closed his eyes and took a moment before answering. "I honestly don't know. This is the Tsukade house we're talking about, and its survived worse, but things don't look very good. We can hold out against the foot soldiers, but if they send anyone with high level skills in here with our current situation, it will be impossible to save the civilians, maybe even the royals."

Thoma leaned against the wall next to the door to the throne room, and then looked at Hibiki with a grin plastered to his face. "Oh, come on. We've been able to take anything together. What's different here?"

Hibiki looked at Thoma with slight annoyance showing. "Thoma, be realistic. I have to cover for your ass more times than Van has announced his loyalty to Master Gaillardia."

Thoma's grin got bigger. "Well then, let's just see how many each of us can take out before we drop, shall we? I think that would be a decent way to go out." Hibiki also grinned when he heard his friend's plan.

"All right, you're on. We'll hold them off for as long as we can. If you die before I do, I'm never going to let you live it down up in heaven."

Thoma closed his eyes and smiled. "Hey, now. That's kind of harsh." He received a smile, but it shortly disappeared. The ground shook violently all of sudden. It wasn't from the bombing on the town like what happened earlier. No, it was much closer this time.

A knight ran around the corner of the right hallway. "Battle positions, everyone! The enemy broke through!"

Thoma's eyes widened. "Already? That's not possible! In just one attack?" He said, as the knight turned to address him directly.

"It was a fonist. We didn't get what he looks like, but he's really skilled. He tore the iron gate in half with Ground Dasher, and now the enemy is storming in. The enemy has already breached the garden defense, and has entered the castle." Thoma grimaced. He couldn't imagine who could do this, but it was obvious the worst case scenario just happened. Everyone took battle positions, with Thoma and Hibiki guarding the throne room's door.

The attack force didn't take long to reach the throne room. The guards in the courtyard were still holding out, keeping the citizens safe, but those in the halls were swiftly defeated due to the lack of space, leaving the castle interior overrun. The Tsukade Style* was very effective, but called for open space to be used properly. The enemy forces stormed through the divided hallway's main entrance and then split into two forces. They made short work of the Angelic Knights in the two halls, and began approaching the throne room.

Thoma and Hibiki looked at each other and gave a nod, signaling to start their assault simultaneously. They split up, Hibiki moving over to the right hall and Thoma to the left. Thoma saw one guard fall over into sight, dead. He quickly went to the left and turned around the corner, charging straight at the soldier that was there. He raised his sword high into the air and brought it down before the soldier even knew what had hit him.

The soldier fell over dead instantly, barely having time to let out a cry of pain. Thoma pulled his sword to his side, then after a slight moment of charging energy, swiped his sword across the ground.

"Demon Fang Rage!"

A large blast of white energy shot out of the sword and quickly traveled down the hallway. It was massive, taking up the entire space and mowing down any knights unfortunate to be in its way. When it reached the end of the hall, it ran into the wall and dissipated. To make sure that no enemies were coming yet again, Thoma ran down the hall and around the corner, finding it to be clear.

At the same time that Thoma was taking out the soldiers in his hall, Hibiki was doing the same in the other. He made short work of his group like Thoma had, but managed to do so in a much less exhausting manner. He simply hacked the first two soldiers down, then cleaved the others in half as he sped down the rest of the hall in an amazingly fast Ghost Wolf arte. Like Thoma, he turned around the corner to make sure there were no more enemies, but only saw his blonde-haired friend on the other end.

"Well, that was certainly easy, wasn't it Hibiki?" Thoma said with a large grin plastered to his face. He was acting like a little kid, excited that he beat Hibiki down the hall. Hibiki simply sighed, not in the mood for Thoma's antics. Fighting always made Hibiki much more serious than he normally was.

"If you have time to sit there and gloat, you have time to go kill some more Kimlascans." Hibiki said in a serious voice, looking down the hall. Thoma was about to make a smart remark back at him, but then all of a sudden the doors in the middle of each hallway flung open and more Kimlascan soldiers rushed in. This time, they were a squad of high knights, elites of the military.

The soldiers were now blocking the hallways back to the throne room, thus preventing Thoma and Hibiki from getting back. They rushed down each hall to try to break through, but two knights split up from the group in each hall and stalled them. The two servants fought back, but it was obvious that it would be a much more drawn out fight than the previous encounter had been. Being blocked off, the other soldiers moved towards the throne room. With no one to guard the throne room, the soldiers quickly reached the door and prepared to break down the large doorway, the last thing protecting the Tsukade family from the threat so close to them.

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><p><strong>Well, I hope everyone enjoyed it! I realize that it may not be as good as it could be, but I am new to this after all. I hope that it made sense and wasn't too fast-paced. I have a tendency to do that occasionally and miss something I thought I had written. In any case, please review and feel free to give constructive criticism. I would appreciate it more than words can describe! I can only get better at this if you, the readers, tell me what I am doing wrong. Just… please don't flame. I really don't like flames. DX<strong>

Tsukade Style: The fighting style that the Tsukade Family uses, also known as the Forgotten Albert Style. It is a more effective version of the Albert Style, but is much harder to learn. The style is very reliant on combos with multiple artes, thus it has a larger artes list than any other style. A majority of these artes are different though, but some are simply improvements of Albert Style artes. Because of the difficulty involved, it quickly lost popularity and nearly died out. The Tsukade Family was the only house to continue practicing it, and in just the recent decade it was making a comeback on Feres. The Tsukades openly advocated its use, allowing it to be taught to anyone willing to learn and being a requirement for the Angelic Knights. It has very few users off of Feres, though.


End file.
